Modular Bedding System and Method of Assembly

ABSTRACT

A three-piece combination bedding system made from a plurality of differing foundations, a plurality of differing support base elements and a plurality of differing comfort layers. By selecting one of each of the three different pluralities, many different combinations of bedding systems may be created having many different firmness or comfort levels to suit individual consumer preferences and price points.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/804,484 filed Jun. 12, 2006 entitled “ModularBedding System and Method of Assembly”, which is fully incorporated byreference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a modular bedding system comprising a beddingfoundation, a support base and a comfort element selected from aplurality of different foundations, support bases and comfort elements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Presently, there are many different bedding systems created and utilizedthroughout the world. One of the most popular of those systems, and theone most commonly seen in the United States, comprises a beddingfoundation or box spring, atop which there is placed a mattress with thefoundation and mattress usually being sold as a pair with common ormatching upholstered coverings.

In Europe, and in many parts of Asia, one popular bedding systemcomprises a wooden foundation having a spring core covered by aninsulator pad, plus urethane foam, with a cover to which is physicallyattached an innerspring unit containing conventional spring cores. Thisfoundation, with its attached spring unit, is then covered with aunitary cover. In use, such a system is usually complemented with aseparate foam or quilted pad to complete the bedding system.

Another type of bedding system popular in Europe comprises a woodenframe with flexible wooden slats spanning the frame and atop which isplaced a conventional two-sided mattress having a urethane foam core ora latex core or a core of conventional innersprings. Alternatively, thetwo-sided mattresses may be placed upon a conventional adjustable bedbase which is either motorized for purposes of adjusting the headrestrelative to the body supporting portion of the base or has a ratchetmechanism for accomplishing that adjustment. These two-sided mattressesgenerally have urethane foam or latex or fiber filling materials on thetop and bottom sides of the mattress and within the covering material toenhance the comfort factor of the mattress.

The manufacture and transport of these different styles of beddingsystems throughout the worldwide market for these products createslogistical problems relative to the manufacture and transport of thebedding system to the various marketplaces in which the systems aresold. Furthermore, the logistical problems are multiplied by the need toprovide consumers with mattresses of differing physical characteristics,such as differing firmness, softness, comfort, etc. to meet individualconsumers' requirements.

It has therefore been an objective of this invention to provide abedding system which minimizes these logistical problems while stillproviding a variety of comfort and price point bedding systems.

Still another objective of this invention has been to standardize thecomponents from which the bedding system is manufactured, but provide avariety of physical differences, such as firmness, quality, comfort andprice points within those individual components such that a consumer mayselect from among those individual components and obtain a bed having adesired comfort level or comfort feel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with this invention, a modular bed is made from athree-piece combination of a foundation, a support base or so-calledsupport base element, and a comfort layer or so-called comfort element.Any combination or portion of the three elements of the modular bed maybe secured together in any desired fashion.

The modular bed is made from a modular bedding system comprising aplurality of bedding foundations, a plurality of support base elementsand a plurality of comfort elements or layers. At least some of thefoundations have a rectangular base or frame, preferably a wooden frame,which may have a foam or spring interior or may utilize conventionalwooden or plastic slats spanning the frame. At least some of thefoundations may have a resilient flexible core surrounded on its sidesby an upholstered fabric covering material. Another type of foundationwhich may be included as one of the foundations of the modular beddingsystem is a collapsible or foldable box spring or foundation such asthose disclosed in pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/842,820and 11/423,584, both of which are fully incorporated herein.

The support base element, which in many respects acts as a mattress (butdoes not have the traditional foam, fiber and quilt covering materials),rests atop the foundation. At least some of the support base elementshave a resilient flexible spring core comprising aligned rows andcolumns of springs. Regardless of the material of the core, the core maybe covered with an upholstered fabric covering material on the sides andover a portion of the top and bottom of the support base element. Thisfabric upholstered covering material is preferably attached to anon-skid decking material. Some of the support base elements may includea pocketed spring core in which each spring is individually pocketed, asis known in the art. The support base elements used in the modularbedding system of the present invention may be different heights and/orcomprise different interiors, thereby imparting different resilientcharacteristics to the support base elements. At least some of thesupport base elements are made of differing heights although comprisingthe same interior to vary the firmness of the support base element orlayer. The support base elements have different degrees of firmnessdepending upon the composition or make-up of the support base elements.At least some of the support base elements may be roll packed at themanufacturing facility and shipped as consumer-ready products.

The comfort layer or element may be made of different materials and/ormay be different heights. Such a comfort element may be in the form of athin quilted pad 20 or 30 millimeters in thickness up to a thick luxurypad of approximately 75 millimeters in thickness containing memoryurethane foam, latex, or even short pocketed coil springs, as well asfiber pads or combinations of these elements. At least some of thecomfort elements are made of differing heights although comprising thesame interior to vary the firmness of the comfort element or layer. Thiscomfort element may also be roll packed at the manufacturing facilityand shipped as a consumer-ready product.

The comfort layer or element may be removably secured to one of thesupport bases using any number of known devices including zippers. Themodular bedding system is operative to create a modular bed.

One advantage of this three-piece combination modular bedding system isthat it may be customized to easily fit individual wants and needs interms of comfort, firmness, softness, etc. Furthermore, the consumer isable to exchange the comfort element or comfort layer without having toreplace the support base and foundation and similarly is able to replacethe support base without having to replace the foundation. Generally,the foundation will last longer than the support base, and the supportbase will last longer than the comfort layer or comfort element.

From the retailers' perspective, bedding systems manufactured from thistype of three-piece combination creates a wide variety of price pointsand bedding types with a minimum of inventory. Furthermore, when thesupport bases and comfort elements are roll packed, as they may be whenmade in accordance with this invention, a large inventory of varyingproducts may be maintained in inventory while requiring for relativelittle floor space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will be morereadily apparent from the following description of the drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a modular bed made in accordance withthis invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of some of the components from which themodular bed of FIG. 1 may be selected and constructed;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the foundation portion of FIG.2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the support base elementportion of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the comfort element portion ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a plurality of the combination ofcomponents from which the modular bed of FIG. 1 may be assembledillustrating the manner in which those components may be displayed andmerchandised;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a modular bed using additionalcomponents of the bedding system of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the underside of the comfort element ofFIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a collapsible bedding foundation whichmay be used in the bedding system of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the modular bed of FIG. 7 showing thecomfort element partially secured to the support base element; and

FIG. 10A is an enlarged view of the encircled area 10A of FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With reference first to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a modular bed 10manufactured from a three-piece combination of a bedding foundation 12,a support base element 14, and a comfort element 16. Each component ofthis three-piece combination is a modular component selected from aplurality 18 of foundations 12 (see FIG. 2), a plurality 20 of supportbase elements 14, and a plurality 22 of comfort elements 16. In FIG. 2,only three of the plurality of foundations 12 are illustrated andsimilarly, only three of the plurality of support base elements 14 areillustrated. In FIG. 2, four comfort elements 16 are illustrated in theplurality 22 of comfort elements 16, but this number is arbitrary andcould, as well, be much greater in number. In practice, by way ofexample, in order to make modular bed 10, one foundation 12 is selected,one support base element 14 is selected, and one comfort element 16 isselected. The selected support base element 14 is then placed atop theselected foundation 12 followed by a comfort element 16 placed atop thesupport base element 14 to create a complete modular bed 10 manufacturedfrom modular components, 12, 14 and 16.

With reference now to FIG. 3, there are illustrated three differentfoundations, 12, 12 a and 12 b, which may be utilized in the practice ofthis invention. All of these foundations are, per se, well known in thebedding industry and consequently, have not been illustrated anddescribed in detail herein. The first of these foundations comprises aconventional wooden frame 24 interiorly of which there is a core 26comprising a plurality of conventional coil springs 28, insulator pad 30covering the top and bottom surfaces of these coil springs and anon-skid fabric covering 32 covering the top insulator pad 30. Any typeof springs of any desired density or height may be used inside the core26. An upholstered fabric covering 34 covers the sides of the woodenframe 24 and extends over a portion of the top and beneath a portion ofthe bottom of the wooden frame 24. This upholstered covering 34 extendsinwardly from the outer edge of the wooden frame 24 for a short distanceas, for example, 75 millimeters, and is attached, as by sewing, to theperiphery of the non-skid fabric deck 32.

The second of the plurality of foundations 18 illustrated in FIG. 3 is aconventional slatted base foundation 12 a having a rectangular woodenframe 36 between the opposite sides of which extend a plurality ofwooden slats 38. The top surfaces of these slats 38 are located in thetop plane of the frame 36 and define the top surface of the slatted base12 a. This too is a conventional form of base or foundation forsupporting a mattress and, per se, is well known to the bedding trade.

The third foundation 12 b illustrated in FIG. 3 is a conventionaladjustable base for supporting a mattress. This base or foundation alsocomprises a frame (not shown), the sides of which are encased within anupholstered covering 40. This upholstered covering 40 extends inwardlyfrom the sides of the frame (not shown) for a short distance and is sewnor otherwise attached to a non-skid fabric decking material 44. Thedecking material 44 is preferably a non-woven fabric material having anon-skid material applied thereto.

While only certain different styles of bed bases or bedding foundationshave been illustrated and described herein, persons skilled in this artwill appreciate that any number of differing adjustable, non-adjustablebed bases may be used in the practice of this invention.

With reference now to FIG. 4, there are illustrated three differentstyles of support base elements, 14, 14 a and 14 b, which may be used inthe practice of this invention. These support base elements may belikened to conventional mattresses except that they generally include nosoft comfort filling materials, such as urethane foam or non-wovenfabric padding, on the top of the innerspring cores.

Each of the support base elements 14, 14 a, 14 b includes an innerspringcore assembly 50, 50 a and 50 b, respectively. In the illustratedembodiment, the innerspring core assembly 50 of the support base 14comprises a plurality of interlaced knotted, or so-called, Bonnell coilsprings. This spring core per se is well known in the bedding industry.The innerspring core assembly 50 a of the support base 14 a comprises aplurality of interlaced or interconnected unknotted coils or so-calledLFK coil springs. This spring assembly per se is also well known in thetrade. And the innerspring core assembly 50 b of the support base 14 bis comprised of a plurality of pocketed coil springs contained withinfabric covering materials, as is conventional in the bedding industry.The top and bottom surfaces of the innerspring core assemblies 50 and 50a are covered by a conventional flexible sheet of insulator material 52,52 a, respectively. The innerspring core assembly 50 b of the supportbase 14 b requires no insulator sheet of flexible covering materialsince the springs are all contained within the fabric encasementmaterial which completely covers all of the surfaces of the coil springsencased within the fabric pockets.

The top and bottom surfaces of the support base elements 14, 14 a and 14b may be covered by a sheet of flexible decking material 54, 54 a, 54 b,respectively. This decking material is most commonly a sheet ofnon-woven fabric material having a coating applied thereto so as toprevent the support base element from sliding relative to the foundationand the comfort layer 16, 16 a, 16 b, 16 c from sliding relative to thesupport base element.

The sides of each support base element 56, 56 a and 56 b are covered byan upholstered fabric material which wraps around the side surfaces ofthe support base element and extends inwardly a short distance on thetop and bottom surfaces as, for example, 75 millimeters, to a point atwhich the upholstered covering is sewn or otherwise fixedly secured tothe fabric decking 50, 54 a, 54 b, respectively.

As mentioned hereinabove, these support base elements differ fromconventional mattresses in that they contain little or no fillingmaterial, such as urethane foam, latex or fiber filling materialsbetween the insulator pads 52, 52 a and 52 b and the decking material54.

With reference now to FIG. 5, there are illustrated four differentstyles or modifications of comfort elements or comfort layers. Thesecomfort elements 16, 16 a, 16 b and 16 c are all quilted elementsencased on the top and sides and preferably, the bottom within anupholstered fabric covering 60, 60 a, 60 b, 60 c, respectively.Alternatively, the bottom surface of the comfort element may be coveredby an unupholstered covering material as, for example, a non-wovendecking material, but it is preferred that the bottom surface be of thesame upholstered fabric as the top and side surfaces such that thecomfort element may be periodically flipped over from one side to theother when it is assembled on a bedding system.

In the illustrated embodiment, the comfort element 16 contains aso-called memory foam 62. The comfort element 16 a contains a core ofshort pocketed coil springs 63 covered on the top and bottom surfaces bya thin ply 64 of urethane foam or fiber or a combination of the two andencased within the upholstered fabric covering 60 a. The third of thefour comfort elements 16 b illustrated in FIG. 5 contains a latex foamcore 66 contained within the upholstered fabric covering 60 b. And thefourth comfort element 16 c contains a standard polyurethane foam core68 contained within the upholstered fabric covering 60 c. These corematerials are simply representative, though, of comfort fillingmaterials which may be used in the comfort element or comfort layer.Additionally, each of these core materials may be complemented orsupplemented by a fiber pad to add additional resilient padding materialto the comfort element.

With reference now to FIG. 6, there is illustrated a merchandising floordisplay which may be used in the marketing of the modular bedding system10. This display comprises a plurality of foundations 12, 12 a, 12 b,all of which may be the same or all of which may differ. Additionally,the display includes a plurality of roll packed support bases 14, 14 a,14 b displayed in a container 70 atop a conventional fork lift-style ofwooden pallet 74. Similarly, the comfort elements 16, 16 a, 16 b, 16 care roll packed and displayed in a retail facility in a container 72atop a conventional fork lift-style of wooden pallet 74.

With reference to FIG. 7, there is illustrated a modular bed 10′manufactured from a three-piece combination of a bedding foundation 12′,a support base element 14′, and a comfort element 16′. As illustrated inFIG. 9, bedding foundation 12′ may be moved or collapsed from an erectedcondition shown in FIG. 10 into a collapsed position shown in FIG. 9.Such a foldable box spring or foundation is disclosed in pending U.S.patent application Ser. Nos. 10/842,820 and 11/423,584, which are fullyincorporated by reference herein. As shown in FIG. 6, bedding foundation12′ may be displayed and sold with any of the other bedding foundationsdescribed above.

FIG. 7 illustrates a support base element 14′ which is similar to butslightly different than the other support base elements described above.Support base element 14′ has a pair of longitudinally extending, spacedlinear half zippers 74 on the upper surface 76 thereof between theupholstered covering 78 and the fabric non-skid decking material 80.Although such half zippers 74 are illustrated as being in one locationthey may be at any desired location and be any desired length orconfiguration. For example, more than two half zippers 74 may beincorporated into the support base element 14′. Any of the support baseelements 14, 14 a or 14 b may have such half zippers incorporatedtherein to aid in securing and retaining one of the comfort elements toone of support base elements.

FIG. 7 illustrates a comfort element 16′ which is similar to butslightly different than the other comfort elements described above.Comfort element 16′ has a pair of longitudinally extending, spacedlinear half zippers 82 on the lower surface 84 thereof. Although suchhalf zippers 82 are illustrated as being in one location they may be atany desired location and be any desired length or configuration. Forexample, more than two half zippers 82 may be incorporated into thecomfort element 16′. Any of the comfort elements 16, 16 a, 16 b or 16 cmay have such half zippers incorporated therein to aid in securing andretaining one of the comfort elements to one of support base elements.

FIGS. 10 and 10A illustrate the method of securing and retaining comfortelement 16′ to support base 14′. The zipper halves 74 and 82 are placednext to one another and a person pulls the zipper handle 86 in thedirection of arrow 88 to secure the zipper halves 74 and 82 together,just like in any other conventional zipper. If desired, any other methodor device may be used for securing a selected comfort element to aselected support base element.

In order to assemble or create the three-piece combination beddingsystem 10 of this invention, one bedding foundation 12, 12 a, 12 b,which may be a fixed or adjustable foundation, is selected along withone support base 14, 14 a, 14 b and one comfort element 16, 16 a, 16 b,16 c. The one selected support base 14 is unrolled from its roll packand placed atop the selected bedding foundation 12. Similarly, theselected comfort element 16 is unrolled and placed atop the previouslyunrolled support base 14. Presumably, there would be support bases andcomfort elements of differing firmness and price points available in thedisplays 70, 72 for selection and incorporation into a bedding systemhaving the desired firmness, softness and feel characteristics desiredby a particular consumer.

In the event that after use, the consumer desires to replace either thecomfort element 16 or the support base 14, either because of wear orbecause of a change in the desired firmness or softness characteristics,that consumer may simply remove the used comfort element or used supportbase and replace either or both without having to replace thefoundation.

One of the primary advantages of this invention resides in the fact thatit facilitates minimalization of floor space required in a retailestablishment while still providing a very large inventory of possiblebedding systems available for sale by that retail establishment.

While I have described only a limited number of embodiments of thisinvention, persons skilled in this art will appreciate the changes andmodifications which may be made without departing from the spirit ofthis invention. Therefore, I do not intend to be limited except by thescope of the following appended claims.

1. A modular bedding system comprising: a plurality of foundations, atleast some of said foundations having a rigid border portion; aplurality of support base elements, at least some of said support baseelements including a resilient flexible core surrounded on its sides byan upholstered fabric covering material; a plurality of comfortelements; and said bedding system being operative to create a modularbed by selection of one of said plurality of foundations, selection ofone of said plurality of support base elements and placement of thatselected one support base element atop said selected one foundation, andselection of one of said plurality of comfort elements and placement ofthat one selected comfort element atop said one selected support baseelement.
 2. The bedding system of claim 1 wherein said plurality ofsupport base elements are roll packed, said selected one support baseelement being adapted to be unrolled before placement atop said selectedone foundation.
 3. The bedding system of claim 1 wherein said pluralityof comfort elements are roll packed, said selected comfort element beingadapted to be unrolled before placement atop said one selected supportbase element.
 4. The bedding system of claim 1 wherein the plurality ofdiffering support base elements includes at least one having a resilientflexible core containing rows and columns of metal springs.
 5. Thebedding system of claim 1 wherein at least some of the support baseelements are of differing heights.
 6. The bedding system of claim 1wherein at least some of the foundations are of differing heights. 7.The bedding system of claim 1 wherein at least some of the comfortelements are of differing heights.
 8. The bedding system of claim 1wherein at least some of the foundations are collapsible.
 9. The beddingsystem of claim 1 wherein the support base elements and comfort elementsare adapted to be secured together.
 10. A modular bedding systemcomprising: a plurality of foundations; a plurality of differingresilient characteristic support base elements, each of said supportbase elements including a resilient flexible core surrounded on itssides by an upholstered fabric covering material, said differingresilient characteristic being the result of differing materialscontained within the interior of the flexible core of at least selectedones of said plurality of support base elements; a plurality ofdiffering resilient characteristic comfort elements, each of saidcomfort elements including an upholstered fabric covering on the top andside border surfaces, said differing resilient characteristic of saidcomfort elements being the result of differing materials containedwithin the interior of at least selected ones of said plurality ofcomfort elements; and said system being operative to create a modularbed by selection of one of said plurality of foundations, selection ofone of said plurality of support base elements and placement of saidselected one support base element atop said selected one foundation, andselection of one of said plurality of comfort elements and placement ofthat one selected comfort element atop said one selected support baseelement.
 11. The bedding system of claim 10 wherein said plurality ofsupport base elements are roll packed, said selected one support baseelement being adapted to be unrolled before placement atop said selectedone foundation.
 12. The bedding system of claim 10 wherein saidplurality of comfort elements are roll packed, said selected comfortelement being adapted to be unrolled before placement atop said oneselected support base element.
 13. The bedding system of claim 10wherein the plurality of differing support base elements includes atleast one having a spring core containing metal springs.
 14. The beddingsystem of claim 10 wherein at least some of the support base elementsare of differing heights.
 15. The bedding system of claim 10 wherein atleast some of the foundations are of differing heights.
 16. The beddingsystem of claim 10 wherein at least some of the comfort elements are ofdiffering heights.
 17. The bedding system of claim 10 wherein at leastsome of the foundations are collapsible.
 18. The bedding system of claim10 wherein the support base elements and comfort elements are adapted tobe secured together.
 19. A modular bedding system comprising: aplurality of foundations; a plurality of support base elements havingdiffering resilient characteristics; a plurality of comfort elementshaving differing resilient characteristics; and said bedding systembeing operative to create a modular bed by selection of one of saidplurality of foundations, selection of one of said plurality of supportbase elements and placement of said selected one support base elementatop said selected one foundation, and selection of one of saidplurality of comfort elements and placement of that one selected comfortelement atop said one selected support base element.
 20. The beddingsystem of claim 19 wherein at least some of said comfort elementsincluding an upholstered fabric covering on the top and side bordersurfaces, said differing resilient characteristics of said comfortelements being the result of differing materials contained within theinterior of at least selected ones of said plurality of comfortelements.
 21. The bedding system of claim 19 wherein at least some ofsaid support base elements including a resilient flexible coresurrounded on its sides by an upholstered fabric covering material, saiddiffering resilient characteristics being the result of differingmaterials contained within the interior of the flexible core of at leastselected ones of said plurality of support base elements.
 22. Thebedding system of claim 19 wherein said plurality of support baseelements are roll packed, said selected one support base element beingadapted to be unrolled before placement atop said selected onefoundation.
 23. The bedding system of claim 19 wherein said plurality ofcomfort elements are roll packed, said selected comfort element beingadapted to be unrolled before placement atop said one selected supportbase element.
 24. The bedding system of claim 19 wherein the pluralityof differing support base elements includes at least one having a springcore containing metal springs.
 25. The bedding system of claim 19wherein at least some of the foundations are collapsible.
 26. Thebedding system of claim 19 wherein the support base elements and comfortelements are adapted to be secured together.
 27. A method of assemblingand creating a bed from a plurality of foundations, a plurality ofdiffering resilient characteristic support base elements and a pluralityof differing resilient characteristic comfort elements, at least some ofsaid foundations having a rigid border portion, at least some of saidsupport base elements including a resilient flexible core surrounded onits sides by an upholstered fabric covering material, and at least someof said comfort elements including an upholstered fabric covering on itstop and side border surfaces; said method comprising: selection of oneof said plurality of foundations; selection of one of said plurality ofsupport base elements and placement of that selected one support baseelement atop said selected one foundation; and selection of one of saidplurality of comfort elements and placement of that one selected comfortelement atop said one selected support base element.
 28. A method ofassembling and creating a bed from a plurality of foundations, aplurality of support base elements, and a plurality of roll packedcomfort elements, at least some of said foundations having a rigidborder portion, at least some of said support base elements including aresilient flexible core surrounded on its sides by an upholstered fabriccovering material, and at least some of said comfort elements includingan upholstered fabric covering on its top and side border surfaces; saidmethod comprising: selection of one of said plurality of foundations;selection of one of said plurality of support base elements andplacement of that selected one support base element atop said selectedone foundation; and selection of one of said plurality of comfortelements, unrolling of that one selected comfort element, and securementof said one selected comfort element atop said one selected support baseelement.
 29. A method of assembling and creating a bed from a pluralityof differing foundations, a plurality of differing roll packed supportbase elements and a plurality of differing roll packed comfort elements,at least some of said foundations having a rigid border portion, atleast some of said support base elements including a resilient flexiblecore surrounded by an upholstered fabric covering material, and at leastsome of said comfort elements including an upholstered fabric coveringon its top and side border surfaces; said method comprising: selectionof one of said plurality of foundations; selection of one of saidplurality of support base elements, unrolling of that one selectedsupport base element, placement of that selected one support baseelement atop said selected one foundation; selection of one of saidplurality of comfort elements, unrolling of that one selected comfortelement and placement of that one selected comfort element atop said oneselected support base element.